Boeing has reportedly locked out about 125 of its firefighters, replacing them with other "highly qualified firefighters" after the aviation giant failed to find an agreement with the firefighters' union during wage negotiations.
The corporation announced on Saturday that it had locked out roughly 125 firemen and a plant located in central Washington, some 170 miles (275 kilometers) distant. In addition to calling in assistance from nearby fire departments, firefighters act as first responders in medical and fire situations.
(Photo : OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images) The Boeing regional headquarters is seen amid the coronavirus pandemic on April 29, 2020, in Arlington, Virginia.
Boeing said in a statement that it could not agree with the union, even after lengthy talks with the help of an unbiased federal mediator. According to the corporation, they have locked out bargaining unit members and completely executed their backup plan, assigning highly skilled firefighters to handle union members' tasks.
In doing so, Boeing broke a record since no fire department in the US had been shut out for more than 40 years, according to Forbes. Boeing locked out its International Association of Firefighters Local I-66 union members.
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Boeing and the Union's Demands
Boeing's insistence on extending the time it takes firefighters to attain the maximum pay scale from 14 to 19 years is at the center of the conflict. For two and a half months, talks have been conducted through a government mediator, but no agreement has been made.
The IAFF union, on the other hand, disputes this, claiming in a statement that Boeing wants to harm, threaten, and force its firemen into taking a contract that doesn't adequately compensate their labor.
IAFF union president Edward Kelly accuses Boeing of prioritizing corporate profit over worker safety. The president continues, saying that safety is compromised by Boeing's choice to lock out union members.
Boeing pays firefighters $25 per hour, or $52,000 annually, as their beginning salary. Boeing claimed to have provided firefighters working 24-hour shifts with a new compensation scheme and a higher pay structure to raise their average annual salary by $21,000.
Currently, Boeing firemen working 24-hour shifts are paid for 20 hours and receive $50 for each additional four hours worked. According to the company, the average salary for its firemen in 2017 was $91,000.
The union claims that some members have to work second jobs or rely on government aid to make ends meet because the pay is not comparable to that of local fire departments and the cost of living in the area around Boeing's operations.
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner Issues
The outcome of its failed negotiations is only one of the numerous difficulties the airline behemoth faces. One of Boeing's former engineers recently accused the aircraft giant of having planes, particularly the 787 Dreamliner, that may crash while in flight.
Although Boeing disputes the allegations, the Federal Aviation Administration said at the time that an inquiry was already in progress. Engineer Sam Salehpour, who worked on the aircraft, detailed his assertions in detail in interviews with The New York Times and paperwork filed to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Based on his résumé, Mr. Salehpour has over ten years of Boeing experience. He asserted that changes to how the large components were put together and fastened on the assembly line were the root of the problems.
He claims that the airplane's fuselage is made up of several components that, when put together from different sources, do not have the same shape.
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